Drone shot of an aircraft graveyard - GIF

**mklotz** · Feb 17, 2020, 11:34 AM

Originally Posted by Jon

That is weird. Home address requirement?

At least in California, proof of citizenship is not required to get a driver's license; only proof of California residency is required...

https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/de...cy_requirement

Seems to me that security at Pima would be more interested in your citizenship than an address that could easily be faked.

**jdurand** · Feb 18, 2020, 12:19 AM

Originally Posted by bruce.desertrat

I suspect it's more they're not allowed to accept passports for some reason, not that they won't accept or trust them. The base has some pretty weird security.

And it's not like anything there is a state secret or anything. I mean, heck they have B52's and B1's visibly destroyed on the ground visible to satellites as a part of treaty compliance. (1991 SALT, iirc) http://cdn.neonsky.com/4bd5ebf97479c...216-0276-1.jpg

It's simpler and stupider than you think. Many places ONLY subscribe to ID services that understand US driver's licence bar codes. I found out about that when a bank needed a scan of both sides of "a government issued ID". Ok, here's my passport data page and to be more complete a scan of my Russian visa in it and the covers with the serial number. Nope, no good. by "government issued ID" they mean US driver's license and nothing else. The scan of the back is all they really use, it's got the bar code.

**owen moore** · Feb 19, 2020, 01:42 PM

Even though these birds are not combat ready, I understand they are considered part of the military aircraft inventory.

**jdurand** · Feb 19, 2020, 05:08 PM

Originally Posted by mklotz

At least in California, proof of citizenship is not required to get a driver's license; only proof of California residency is required...

https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/de...cy_requirement

Seems to me that security at Pima would be more interested in your citizenship than an address that could easily be faked.

My license came up for renewal right after they started the Real ID which looks like the normal driver's license but is "better". Quite some time after I'd received it, traveled to Turkey and Russia once or twice, I received a letter in the mail that they hadn't properly issued the early ones. I had to immediately provide more proof of ID, they wanted a current utility bill mailed to them.

Ah, security. I feel so much better now.

**mklotz** · Feb 20, 2020, 08:22 AM

The real irony would have been if one of the further accepted proofs of identity had been a US passport.

**gatz** · Aug 20, 2025, 08:57 AM

Can't begin to estimate the $$ represented there;
unfathomable comes to mind

**bruce.desertrat** · Aug 20, 2025, 11:28 AM

Most are stored in mothballed condition so they can be restored to service as needed or provide spare parts for active aircraft.

**neilbourjaily** · Aug 20, 2025, 01:51 PM

I am surprised a drone was permitted to overfly. If this is a production of the USAF, then I'm surprised they posted it.

**bruce.desertrat** · Aug 20, 2025, 05:31 PM

This isn't anything really secret...after all, it's freaking visible from space (it has to be, in fact because there are B! bombers laid out to demonstrate they have been rendered unusable to comply with one of the SALT treaties, which needed to be visible to Soviet surveillance satellites.) Access is controlled closely...mainly because they don't want people stealing stuff, but they have allowed studios to film parts of movies on the site, and (iirc...it's been a while since I checked) they do offer tours during the annual Air Force days when the base is open to the public for the airshows.

**Frank S** · Aug 20, 2025, 06:07 PM

We had some pretty strict requirements to get on the coalition bases in Kuwait in 2003 as you might figure. I showed my US passport Texas drivers CDL license Kuwait civil ID Kuwait driver's license denoting all vehicle authorization and my KSE card (Kuwait society of Engineers). then they thumb printed, and retina scanned my left eye. Then in order for me to drive my POV on base it was inspected twice the first inspection was just to travel on the bases the 2nd one was to determine whether or not I could drive it in convoy to Iraq My 1998 Mitsubishi Pajero had belonged to the sheik who owned the company I worked at it had been reassembled in Kentucky somewhere moderately hardened with upgraded engine and transmissions. In all my trips to Baseera and Baghdad those first few years I was glad to never have to find out how much protection 5 laminated door glasses and whatever platting in the body and under the floor could offer.